The S. pombe “cytokinesis” NDR kinase Sid2 activates Fin1 NIMA kinase to control mitotic commitment via Pom1/Wee1

Mitotic exit integrates the reversal of the phosphorylation events initiated by mitotic kinases with a controlled cytokinesis event that cleaves the cell in two. The Mitotic Exit Network (MEN) of budding yeast regulates both processes, while the fission yeast equivalent, the Septum Initiation Network (SIN), only controls the execution of cytokinesis. The components and architecture of the SIN and MEN are highly conserved(1). It is currently assumed that the functions of the core SIN/MEN components are restricted to their characterised roles at the end of mitosis. We now show that the NDR kinase component of the fission yeast SIN, Sid2/Mob1, acts independently of the other known SIN components in G2 phase of the cell cycle to control the timing of mitotic commitment. Sid2/Mob1 promotes mitotic commitment by directly activating the NIMA related kinase Fin1. Fin1’s activation promotes its own destruction, thereby making Fin1 activation a transient feature of G2 phase. This spike of Fin1 activation modulates the activity of the Pom1/Cdr1/Cdr2 geometry network towards Wee1.